Study
by little-starling
Summary: A sweet one-shot set sometime after book 1. Bella, alone with Edward's parents; what could possibly go wrong? Usual Disclaimers apply. No warnings. Reviews are considered most kind, fellow readers :)


"Are you sure this is ok?"

Bella asked for the second time, some of her anxiousness evident in her tone. Edwards honey coloured eyes crinkled in amusement as he glanced at her, his attention returning to the winding driveway before answering.

"As sure as I was five minutes ago." He teased, directing the Volvo into the space behind Emmett's jeep. Bella had barely a second to scowl at him before her door was open, a blast of chilled air replacing the warmth that had accumulated on their drive.

Sighing deeply, Bella rose from the seat and adjusted her armload of books as she gazed upwards, astounded anew at the massive structure before her. Edwards hands relieved her of her burden, his cold hands brushing against her own; almost the same temperature in the current icy conditions.

"I don't want to disturb anyone..." she admitted quietly, her pace deliberately slow as they meandered towards the front door. She tucked her pale hands into her pockets, burrowing down into the warmth of her insulated jacket. The glass fronted doors reflected both she and Edward as they approached, the backdrop of heavily leaden snow covered branches creating an almost romantic picture.

"You're not. Trust me; they'll get a kick out if it. We don't get human guests that often." He assured her, though his slight hint of sarcasm did not go undetected.

The glass doors opened into the familiar vast space that acted as a reception hallway, its white walls and colourful artwork welcoming. Edward helped her off with her coat and scarf, and she shivered slightly, the warmth around them seeping into her chilled skin. Esme appeared, her heart shaped face split by a grin as she walked towards them from the living room.

"Bella, it's good to see you again." She gushed, and Bella had no reason to doubt her sincerity. Esme's golden eyes radiated warmth and Bella could do little but return the smile.

"I hope this is ok. Charlie's having Billy over for the game and they can be...enthusiastic. I really do need to catch-up on some homework." She explained, though she knew that Edward had no doubt filled them in. They had started the journey towards the living room while she spoke and she raised an awkward hand in greeting to Emmett and Rosalie as they came into view.

"What's up, Bella? Edward holding back on his notes?" Emmett jested, his loud voice echoing slightly.

"I'm fairly confident the school board would consider that cheating, Emmett. And rightly so."

Carlisle had appeared as silently as was expected behind Bella, causing her to jump slightly. His gentle smile held apology.

"Pay him no heed, Bella. It's important you learn along with your peers, an opinion Edward and I happily share." He stated with his quiet authority, effectively silencing any further teasing from Edward's hyperactive brother. Well, almost.

"Can we go now? Bella isn't exactly helping my thirst over here." He grumbled good-naturedly, winking as Bella predictably blushed. She turned to Edward at the soft touch on her arm, his pale face showing both annoyance and reluctant amusement. He led her away from his family, stopping once they were both back in the hallway. The satin smoothness of his skin stroked across her cheek gently as he ran a finger from her temple to her bottom lip.

"I'll only be a few hours. Try not to break yourself when I'm gone hmm?" he teased, his reluctance to leave her apparent in his tone. It melted Bella as effectively as his lingering touches.

"Have a good hunt. Don't worry about me, at least there's a doctor in the house.." she whispered back, sharing his sardonic grin.

The sound of pretend retching coming from the living room broke the spell, though she couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the grunt Emmett gave as he was abruptly silenced.

"Carlisle and Esme will be here. Don't be shy in asking for whatever you need; they want you to be comfortable here Bella."

His serious expression conveyed his own wish that she were comfortable with his family and she realised that her hesitance in not wanting to intrude may have been mistaken as the opposite. She felt horrible.

"Go, Edward. I'm looking forward to spending some time with your parents. Honestly." She insisted, hoping her own expression was as sincere as Esme's had been earlier. She felt relieved when he nodded, then breathless as he touched his cool lips to her own. By the time her eyelids had fluttered open she was alone. Her sigh held both exasperation and affection.

"Bella?" she heard called, Esme's melodious voice making her start. Stilling her own nervous twitches, Bella stepped back into the living area and found Edwards surrogate mother in the kitchen, a tall glass of milk held out to her. Bella's nose twitched in appreciation at the smell beginning to permeate the air around them.

"Your books are on the table. I'm making some cookies to go with that." Esme smiled, indicating the chilled glass Bella now held. It occurred to Bella then that she wasn't the only person in the house who might be anxious to impress. She smiled back reassuringly, holding her glass up slightly in thanks.

"This is great. You really don't need to go to any trouble for me."

Esme's chuckle was motherly as she shepherded Bella to the rounded glass breakfasting table where her books were neatly arranged.

"Don't spoil my fun, Bella. I don't get the chance to bake often."

Settling down, Bella turned her attention to her schoolwork, the everyday sounds of Esme moving around the kitchen calming her. She took a moment to wipe the remnants of milk from her top lip before turning to, ironically, her history paper.

She worked in silence for awhile, slowly losing herself in her writing. The scratch of her pen across the paper, her quiet breathing and the sounds of murmured voices coming from a distant TV stopped the house from being too quiet. Esme, having delivered the promised cookies, had left her to her studies some half hour ago and Bella assumed that it was she who was watching the commercials she could now hear running.

In just the forty minutes she had been here, Bella felt her relationship with Esme had developed some. In many ways she reminded her of Renee, which was a comfort in her mother's absence. Having felt a decided lack of any maternal presence since her arrival back in Forks, Bella was appreciative of Esme's quiet but warm concern; and of course her prodigious baking skills.

Looking back to her paper, Bella frowned. She wasn't sure she had fully explained her point and without her usual study guru, Edward, was starting the doubt the whole body of her text. She pushed away the frown lines on her forehead with fingertips and sat back, lips twisting one way then the other as she marshalled her courage. There was another presence in this house that would be able to help, she knew. A man actually older than the events she was currently attempting to explain.

Carlisle was no doubt in his study, as he had often been on the few occasions Edward had brought her here. The thought of disturbing him, however, was not sitting well with her. Then again, the thought of Edward's intent face as he had quietly requested she ask for help replayed in her mind.

It wasn't that he was unapproachable in any way, she thought. He was just...

Vampire, patriarch, doctor extraordinaire and had existed before Darwin, Newton, the Salem witch trials; Bach, Voltaire and Austen; the constitution, French revolution and countless other historical events and figures that shaped the world she now lived in.

_Intimidation_ didn't begin to cover it.

Bella huffed out a sigh, frustrated. She slipped a cookie from the plate and crunched through it sharply, twirling her pen as she chewed thoughtfully.

"Bella?" Carlisle, as though summoned by her thoughts, appeared at her elbow, his low voice having the effect of a sudden thunderclap in its unexpectedness.

Several things happened at once. Bella jumped, her whole body reflexively twitching in fright; her hand caught the edge of her half-full glass and sent it careening towards the kitchen tile; and her startled inhale brought a stray cookie crumb to catch in her throat.

She felt cold hands manipulate her until she was leaning forward, her bottom hanging half off her seat as she dissolved into desperate coughs and gasps. A steely arm across her chest held her in place and her body jerked into it at the hard blow to her back, her hands flying up to grasp at the silken material of the good doctor's shirt sleeve.

"Breathe slowly, Bella" Carlisle's calm voice instructed her, but panic and violent coughing had swollen her throat to the point that the normally unconscious, wholly natural act of inhaling air became entirely too difficult. She whimpered slightly, nails digging into unrelenting flesh as she wheezed thin, reedy lungfuls of precious oxygen.

"The worst is over, Isabella. Try to relax you're breathing..." Carlisle coached; his calming voice a low drone in her ear.

Slowly, gradually, tension eased from her and her body welcomed the additional air greedily as it flowed with increasingly little resistance through dry lips. She slumped slightly, her hands surrendering their death grip to rub away the moisture that had spilled onto her cheeks. The arm around her squeezed once in sympathy before retreating.

Blinking open blurry eyes, they fell immediately on the shock of whiteness across the dark tiles at her feet and the sight of Esme collecting the broken shards of her glass. Had her face not been scarlet already due to her choking fit, she was sure that the horrendously embarrassing aftermath would do the job. Esme raised worried, strained eyes to meet Bella's own.

"Bella, sweetheart, are you ok?" she enquired with genuine concern, her eyes flitting over a still breathless Bella as though to judge for herself. Bella could do little but nod in a jerky movement, though she did wish to reassure Edward's mother and remove the anxiety from her expressive face.

Carlisle blocked her view as he crouched before her, a glass of water in hand.

"Small sips." He instructed as she reached eagerly for it, cursing her trembling hand. The cool water felt amazing against the rough, abused tissues of her throat and she brought the glass to her lips several times before surrendering it to Carlisle's waiting hand. She breathed deeply for a few moments, avoiding his assessing gaze.

Mortification was eager to fill the space panic had left behind it seemed.

"I'm ok." She croaked; her voice painful to her own ears. Carlisle's kind face quirked in amusement; drawing her eyes.

"I'm sure there are easier ways to avoid your schoolwork." He stated, bumping a knuckle gently under her chin and bringing a reluctant half smile to her face. He straightened, revealing to Bella a once more spotless floor with no signs that the accident had ever taken place. Esme was hovering closely, still appearing anxious.

"I'm really ok, Esme. Just me being...well me I guess." She tried to reassure her, her voice holding a whiskey rasp that hinted of Deep South blues singers.

"It was my fault, Bella. I apologise for startling you." Carlisle offered, handing her the water once more. She readily gulped it down.

"Don't apologise. Really. I'm actually kinda glad you were here; Charlie usually freaks out and whacks me on the back more times than is strictly necessary – I'm pretty convinced he's getting his own back for something I did as a kid." She joked, straightening her shirt and hair self-consciously.

Both parents chuckled, easing the tension much to Bella's relief. She wanted the attention to shift from her desperately and as such, made a show of shuffling her books and papers as though preparing to get back to her homework. From the corner of her eye she saw Esme draw a hand down her husband's arm in an affectionate caress, before she turned and walked at a human's pace to the hallway. Bella peeked up at Carlisle, some of her pre-near death experience nerves coming to the fore. He raised an eyebrow and Bella abandoned her pretence of covert surveillance.

"I'm really ok, Carlisle. Just embarrassed I guess." She admitted ruefully, shifting a little in her seat. Carlisle nodded thoughtfully, pulling the nearest chair out and sinking into it gracefully.

"I'm not overly concerned for your health, Bella. Choking, whilst traumatic, very rarely results in any long term or permanent damage. You're breathing is clear; pallor, good; heartbeat settling into its usual cadence..."

"Plus no bruises on my back; bonus." Bella interjected, sharing a smile with him. An easy silence settled between them, broken by the occasional rise in enthusiastic audience applause coming from the next room.

"How are your assignments coming on?" Carlisle asked, nodding towards her papers.

Bella grinned, the amusement of the moment lost to the man sitting beside her.

"Actually, Carlisle, I was meaning to ask..."

END

Any feedback would be an encouraging and appreciated bonus fellow readers.


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